Recreational boating activity in Monegasque waters surged during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, reaching nearly six times the level observed the previous week, the maritime tracking website MarineTraffic reported on Monday.

Over the two days of Formula 1 qualifying and the Sunday of the race, MarineTraffic recorded an average of 878 vessel movements per day in the principality, including both arrivals and departures.

This figure is approximately 5.7 times higher than the average of the previous week, which saw 153 daily movements.

The number of boat arrivals increased daily, rising from 216 on June 4 to 379 on June 5, then 449 on June 6, peaking at 500 on race day, June 7.

Pleasure craft dominated the traffic, with 1,973 arrivals over the past 10 days, just over 91 percent of the total. 

A satellite image from the European Copernicus program, seen by AFP and taken a few hours before the start of the Grand Prix, illustrated the exceptional influx, showing a heavily congested bay and overcrowded harbours.

Yacht berths, offered for example by the Yacht Club of Monaco at daily rates ranging from 6,000 euros to nearly 25,000 euros depending on the size of the vessel, allowed wealthy clientele to watch the race, won by Italian Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), from the water.